Ahhhh, my favorite part of the country. As part of the larger trip I’ve posted about in the Colorado and California boards, this to me is the “meat & potatoes” of this trip. I’m hoping to have about 4 or 5 days after leaving Colorado, to enjoy SoUtah before heading on to Las Vegas & ultimately Los Angeles for business.

Here is the first cut at my admittedly crazy plan, which needs a healthy injection of sanity to develop a doable itinerary that’s FUN for everyone.

We want to go to Moab for a one-day family adventure (youngest is 7 year-old boy) with Desert Highlights (if availability exists). This just looks like WAY too much fun to pass up, and we’ve been to Arches NP before, so skipping that (unless our Desert Highlights tour takes us there) is not a heart breaker. Also, what about e-z rafting trips for the family? Tex’s Riverways was recommended to us; any opinions? However, there are some other nearby places (in the Utah sense of the word “nearby”) that we’ve never seen, such as Dead Horse State Park, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef. Where are the best slot canyons? On the way to Las Vegas, we wouldn’t mind a day in Bryce and/or Zion, either (both of which we’ve been to briefly). For all of that, I’m guessing we have about 4 or maybe 5 days. I fully understand that it can’t possibly all fit in, so I’m looking for help in eliminating options; if two places are very similar, I can skip one. Wish I had a month.

I read in some other posts that the roads in Capitol Reef are rough, on the order of Monument Valley. We went to Monument Valley/Valley of the Gods a few years ago in a minivan and have hilarious memories of driving up into the sky & not seeing road beneath us, and then tipping down on the other side, yelling “DITCH!” Great memories, but I have to say I was a bit nervous. We’ll have a minivan again, a Toyota Sienna, with typical minivan clearance – not SUV. Should we avoid this?

As mentioned in my other posts in Colorado & California, our kids are ages 16, 11 and 7 and are great, experienced travelers & National Park junkies like their parents. We might be camping, so I’m looking for camping and hotel recommendations. This will be after Labor Day, so I’m assuming (correct me if I’m wrong) we could get some off-season rates and better availability. In general we try to do things as inexpensively as possible, but we’d be open to any suggestions, especially fun/unusual things to do.
What kinds of things am I not considering, or you think I should be thinking about?

BTW, I’m also showing the kids the places I have in mind and letting them have input as to what they’d like to do. That’s an ongoing process, and I don’t have too much definitive from them yet.

Sounds like you're going to have a blast no matter where you end up! When you mentioned an easy raft trip and slot canyons I thought of Page AZ, just south of the Utah border. The raft trip from the base of Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry (the start of the Grand Canyon) is a spectacular stretch of flat water rafting. And Antelope Canyon near Page is an incredible slot canyon your kids would enjoy exploring.

Thanks, but Page is probably a bit too far for this trip. I really want to stick around in the Moab/Canyonlands/Capitol Reef area before heading to Bryce/Zion. But the slot canyons are definitely a point of interest for all of us! I'm checking out a great web site that tells about all of those.

Canyonlands has 2 accessible areas; the needles section south of Moab, which you can view from the top, and the area near Arches that is definitely worth seeing (has good hiking.) Also worth seeing is scenic Rte 128 that goes northeast from Moab - it has spectacular scenery with the Colorado river running alongside; good for an easy rafting trip, near the winery.

If you've seen the Goosenecks near Mexican Hat then I would not bother with Dead Horse State Park, as it is redundant.

Capitol Reef actually has the main hwy (24) running through it and does have some interesting architecture worth seeing, and you can do it(or hike) from the road.

As long as you guys can handle some driving, you can probably pull off a quick 6 day tour that takes in some pretty cool spots. Ditch a day (or all the days)in Vegas and spend 2 days in Moab and see Dead Horse, Islands in the Sky (Canyonlands), and your family adventure tour. Spend a few hours in Goblin's State Park (Hanksville area) enroute to Capitol Reef (one of my favorites). Goblin's is a little out of the way but a very cool and fun place.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/21330428

Spend a night (or two) in Torrey at Austin's (a great value). The Cathedral Valley drive in Cap Reef requires 4wd but the rest are pretty normal (unless it rains). There are some great hikes, petroglyphs, historic orchards and buildings, and incredible scenery. And Torrey is a great little town.

Your trip on Route 12 is an adventure in itself - an incredible drive. There are loads of things to see between Boulder and Escalante and a bunch of slot canyons along the Escalante River that you can hike to. I've not been but it's
on the list" for future trips. There's a slot canyon (of sorts) that is easily accessible from the Burr Trail just a few miles from Boulder in Long Canyon that is fun to check out. It's just a few hundred feet from the road.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/34897574

I'd spend a night at Bryce and at least 1 at Zion. You'll be cruising through but will still have time to enjoy some of the highlights of each place.

Our first trip to Arches NP in 2002 took us down Rte 128 along the Colorado River, thanks to recommendation from Utahtea (THANKS!!). It was a spectacular introduction to this beautiful area, and started our love affair with this region. So we will be taking that southbound again to Moab off of I-70 from Colorado. I was unaware, however, of any winery or rafting trips along that route. Where/what are they? Ever heard of Tex's Riverways?

I've not been to Medicine Hat, so sounds like Dead Horse might still be in the mix, and I was noticing the road (Hwy 24) thru Capitol Reef.

Could we do a day at Canyonlands, and then a day thru Capitol Reef en route to Bryce & Zion? There does not seem to be a direct route between C'lands & CR, so I don't know how much time it would consume to go in & out of C'lands, and then all the way around to CR. We would certainly be restricted to Island in the Sky district of the park.

Also, what about Grand Staircase-Escalante NM? It looks pretty small anyway (by Utah standards), but is it worth a stop? My guess is, it would be a good get-out-and-stretch-your-legs spot.

We spent two weeks in Southern UT in May, 2009, visiting virtually all the parks there.

At the risk of arousing the wrath of others, there is good reason Zion, Bryce, and Arches are the most visited parks in Utah.

Also, in case nobody else mentioned it, the drive from Bryce Canyon NP to Torrey via Escalante is one of the most beautiful in the US.

HTTY

OK, here's what I've come up with for the Utah portion of the itinerary. Please comment away!

Fri. 9/11 – Get up early and leave Winter Park, CO to shoot for Moab around 1 PM (6 hrs, but allowing 8 to gawk at Rocky Mts. some more, as well as scenic drive down UT-128 to Moab). Catch afternoon canyoneering adventure with Desert Highlights (spoke to them today). Spend night camping in the area. (Any suggestions?) We may camp right at Devils Garden at Arches.

Sat. 9/12 - Half-day rafting trip with Canyon Voyages Adventure Co. or Red River Adventures, both recommended by Matt at Desert Highlights as being family/kid-friendly. Any comments? Then, afternoon at Arches & camp out again.

Sun. 9/13 – Break camp & hit the road. This may be the most ambitious day, but I think it’s do-able. Leave Arches NP and see Dead Horse Point State Park & Canyonlands (Islands in the Sky area), then head on to Capitol Reef, stopping at Goblin Valley if time permits (willing to let that go, though). Spend night at Austin’s in Torrey.

Mon. 9/14 – Continue on Rte. 12 thru Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase-Escalante on the way to Bryce Canyon. Should get there around noon-ish. Camp at Bryce if possible.

Tue. 9/15 – Hike around Bryce; catch sunrise and/or sunset. Camp again at Bryce if possible.

Wed. 9/16 – Head to Zion for camping and as much hiking and/or Zion Adventures as we can stand. Spend 2 days & 2 nights there.

Fri., 9/18 – On to Las Vegas to visit family there before I have to get back to the real world and head to L.A. for my business trip on Sunday (oh yeah, I remember that…) for the following week. Then we’ll head up to Yosemite, etc., but that’s another story (and another post).

Thoughts/comments? Thanks so much for all your input so far – I couldn’t have come this far without it!

Since this is a Utah tag, I'll limit my itinerary to that portion here; if you're interested, you can see first part (VA to CO) at Colorado (sweens66). Still working on the California part.

So far, how does this sound?

Your plan look doable and you're right, 9/13 will be a bear. I'd head right into Islands in The Sky (try to get to Mesa Arch for sunrise) and drive the loop.

Islands in The Sky:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/35092185

Mesa Arch

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/35063163

Then, as your're leaving, decide if you want to do Dead Horse Point. You'll have to pay to enter since it is a state park. You can also decide about Goblins as you approach it depending on time.

Goblins:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/21330431

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/21315268

The drive from Moab to Torrey is only about 3 hours so you'll probably have time to do the scenic drive at Capitol Reef after the drive from Moab. If not then you could do it in the morning before you leave Torrey for Bryce. Hiking in Capitol Reef is excellent but you won't have time for that.

The Drive from Torrey to Bryce is less than 3 hours so you'd have time to do the hike into Lower Calf Creek Falls or drive down the Hole in The Rock road to see the Devil's garden. there...no hiking required for that. Even if you just skip all this and head to Bryce, the drive down Scenic Byway Rt 12 will be spectacular.

Lower Calf Creek Falls:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/34819899

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/34819900

Devil's Garden:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/88444601

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/88444592

Don't worry about missing some things...it just gives you an excuse to go back for another visit. Have a great time...I'm jealous.

Great advice once again, peterboy. And what fabulous pictures! I think getting to Mesa Arch for sunrise would be a worthy goal (although a big challenge to break camp in time to do it).

I was really only including Dead Horse Point SP because others had said it is even more beautiful than Canyonlands, but if it's essentially more of the same - not that I'd be bored with that - but it may be worth skipping. We can indeed play it by ear.

I REALLY appreciate the recommendations for hikes along Rte 12 (Lower Calf Creek Falls and Hole In The Rock). Thank you!

Hi sweens,

I kind of don't understand why (when you live so close) you are desperate to cram so much in to just one trip. Why not pick a park and enjoy it before having to head on down to Vegas and the business meeting? Don't you ever plan on returning?

I think sweens is from Virginia.

Oh, I haven't read the other posts. Now I understand, but I think they are trying to cram too much in to too short a time.

I agree, Dayle. I'd LOVE to be able to spend more time out there, but we do live on the coast of Virginia. This is a huge, and I always feel, once-in-a-lifetime trip. I'm only doing it now because I have the biz trip to L.A., and I'm able to leverage some of the cost off of that.

That said, my wife is really starting to warm up to the idea of canyoneering - and RAFTING! She is gaining more confidence from looking at the Desert Highlights web site, and talked to Matt (the owner) today. She also looked at a bunch of YouTube videos. Anyway, she's even thinking about a full day canyoneering (maybe even Medievel Chamber!) adventure (I was hoping just to get a low-key half day), and then also a day (not half-day) of rafting. So we are trading (for now) a day of Zion for another day at Moab - so 2 1/2 days there. We should arrive early afternoon on 9/11, when we'll pitch our tent at Arches and then enjoy the afternoon around the park. Sat. looks like rafting, and Sunday's wide open for Desert Highlights - we'll book tomorrow after we decide which hike.

We plan to get up mucho early on the 14th to watch the sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands if possible. Then we may skip Dead Horse Point & Goblin Valley to just enjoy more of Canyonlands & the drive thru Capitol Reef to Torrey.

A couple days later we'll be in Zion. I haven't had a chance to look it up yet, but does anyone know if you can just buy some neoprene socks & hike The Narrows without a guide, or are you required to use Zion Adventures or some other outfit like that? Is a permit required?

On the way back to VA from L.A. in early Oct., we may head back to Zion for a couple more days to do more exploring, too.

http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/zion-narrows.htm

No permit is needed to day hike the Narrows if you start from the bottom and go up, which is what most people do. Don't need a guide either.

I'm sure you could buy the socks yourself, you will want a walking stick of some sort as well. Depending on the total cost for everyone it might be easiest/cheapest to rent from ZAC.

Just be very certain to check the weather forecasts at the Visitor's Centers before visiting any of the parks and doing hikes. Very important for your safety!

Roger that! Thanks again.